The Reincarnated Thirty-Something Woman’s Otherworldly Reform Life
The Head Maid and the Valet, Occasionally Gai and Sebastian
Translated by: ME
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*****
When she stepped out of the room, Sebastian was visible further down the hallway.
As Magnolia trotted closer, he noticed her and stopped in his tracks.
「Sebastian-shan, I have shomething to confirm. Is now a good time, jusht for a little bit?」
「Yes, certainly. ...Also, please feel free to call me by my name without honorifics.」
He crouched down properly, kneeling to meet her eye level. He was a capable steward who paid attention to even the finest details.
Magnolia, for her part, checked to ensure he wasn't in pain... and that the documents in his hands weren't too heavy.
「I have thwee things. Firsht, is there a libwary in the mansion? If there is, am I fwee to go in and out?」
「Yes, there is. You may use it freely. If you ask Plum, I believe she can guide you there immediately. I fear the selection of picture books is not very extensive... but we shall procure some shortly.」
...Right now, there wasn't a speck of his black aura; he simply had the air of a kindly grandfather.
She actually wanted practical books rather than picture books... but refusing his offer felt rude, so it was a delicate situation.
「The shecond thing is, I want to shend a letter, sho I want to borrow a writing set.」
「Understood. I will have one delivered to your room later.」
「The third thing is, do you know Countess Daphne of the Royal Capital?」
「Yes. Of course.」
Thank goodness, she breathed a sigh of relief.
「"Daphne" is her firsht name, wight? Do you know her family name?」
「She is Countess Daphne Lebeau. I know the address as well, so I shall write it on your behalf, but...」
「Thank you vewy much. ...But, why is she called "Countess Daphne"? Normally, it would be Countess Lebeau, wight?」
She had forgotten to check her full name in the Noble Peerage Book. Of course, this mansion likely had a copy, and while she thought asking would be faster, it turned out to be the correct choice.
Sebastian nodded, looking as if he understood her curiosity.
「The Ascald Kingdom has a custom of cherishing the names of women.」
「Becaush the Flower Goddess pwotects that child's whole life, wight?」
「Yes. You are very knowledgeable. For women whose achievements have been recognized, there are times when they are addressed by attaching their title or honorific to their given name to praise their personal honor.」
Huh. She had thought this was a male-dominated world, but she was impressed to find it had unexpected sides.
「Sho that’s why... Thank you vewy much for teaching me, even though you're bushy.」
She waved her hand to see Sebastian off as he stood up. Just as she returned the way she came and reached her new room, this time Gai appeared from out of nowhere.
「Greetings, Milady.」
「Ah, Gai. Did you resht well?」
Gai, who spoke a greeting more affected than usual, was standing there in travel gear.
「...Are you going shomewhere?」
「Yep. I've been looking into the situation in the neighboring countries lately. I'm heading out to hand that task over to someone else.」
...The situation in neighboring countries... So he really is a spy, or something of the sort.
Since this is a Margrave house, there must be various matters regarding the defense of the border.
She wondered if it was alright for a mere ordinary little girl to hear such things. She felt a little anxious.
「Is that sho. Please be careful. ...Will you come back shoon?」
Gai directed a smile full of affection toward her, rather than his usual smirk.
「Well now, perhaps in about a month?」
「That’s long... take care of your health and don't get hurt.」
「Thank you. Milady, please do not do anything reckless, and stay well.」
For some reason, he specifically instructed her not to be reckless. Even though she had never done anything reckless!
Gai watched Magnolia until she entered her room, then turned on his heel.
(Well, well. What will Milady get up to in the span of a month...)
He felt a mix of anticipation and fear.
Chuckling deep in his throat, he lightly leaped out the window.
Upon returning to her room, Magnolia took a moment to look around the living room, bedroom, and fitting room she had been given.
Perhaps because the furniture placed there looked like miniatures, the rooms appeared even more spacious.
(The Fairy Princess, was it? I wonder what kind of person she was...)
The original master of these rooms. Her great-grandmother, who had the same face as her.
They say she was a princess of a former small country. But as the wife of the Gilmore lord during a time of fierce war, was she a woman full of grit, contrary to her appearance?
She imagined her great-grandmother riding horses and swinging swords.
「Excuse us. We heard you had returned, so we came over.」
When she replied, Plum and Dean entered together.
「Milady, we heard from Sebastian and have brought the writing tools.」
「Thank you vewy much. Please put them on the table over there.」
Seeing their tiny master come out from the back room, the two of them felt relieved.
—Not knowing the circumstances yet, the two had thought she might be crying, missing her distant home and family.
「I believe the Masters have already introduced him, but this is my grandson, Dean. He will be assisting with your personal needs. We humbly ask for your favor. Come on, you too!」
「Ouch!」
As Plum said this, she roughly grabbed her grandson's head and forced it down to make him bow along with her.
「We had a lively greeting earlier. Once again, pleashe treat me well. There are many things I don't undershtand, sho I ask for your help.」
「Milady, you can write... can you?」
As she placed the pen and stationery she was holding onto the table, Dean, who had been fidgeting, spoke up.
He was glared at by his grandmother for his tone midway through and hurriedly corrected himself, though.
「Yup. Jusht a little.」
「That's amazing! No, ...That is amazing, isn't it...?」
His large eyes darted around restlessly.
Magnolia unintentionally burst into laughter at his rapidly changing expressions.
「Dean is my playmate, wight? If you worry sho much about how you talk, you'll get tired. You can talk normally.」
「I cannot do that! Milady, you must draw the line properly.」
「Oh my, but I'm this shmall. Dean is shtill six, wight?」
「I am two years older than you, Milady!」
Dean ducked his head at the exchange between Plum and Magnolia.
Seeing the grandmother who looked unconvinced and the grandson with a troubled face, Magnolia thought, this is peaceful.
「Well then, shpeak properly in fwont of evewyone, okay? When it's jusht the two of us, easy words are fine.」
Seeing the young lady smile softly, Dean blushed all by himself.
「Lady Magnolia, shall I call for Lily?」
「No. Lily must be tired from riding the carriage all the way, and she has to tidy up her room, sho have her resht for today. It depends on evewyone's schedule, but shince we just moved, I don't mind giving her a few days off if she likes.」
She might want to gather personal items or look around the neighborhood.
Or perhaps she would feel better if she kept busy? Magnolia pondered.
「I will let Lily know.」
「Thank you. Plum-shan and Dean can leave too, it's okay.」
「Is that so? Then, if you have any need of us, please call without hesitation.」
Saying they would return at mealtime, they quietly left.
...Good grief.
Sitting on the fluffy sofa, she thought about the letter to send to Countess Daphne.
For a long contemplation, this seemed more comfortable to sit on than the chair at the magnificent desk. As she swung her legs, she recalled her young uncle, Big Brother Claude, creating the "Claude Canyons" between his brows, and she gently stopped her legs.
Back at her parents' home, she was suddenly unable to attend lessons and had come here without greeting or thanking Countess Daphne.
She had tentatively asked Lila and Daisy to pass on a message, but it was incredibly rude.
She had to at least convey her apologies, gratitude, and current situation.
(...I wonder what the letter etiquette of this country is like...)
For the time being, it likely wasn't that vastly different.
...She should probably write an apology for her previous life (?) starting with the seasonal greetings found in etiquette books, and a "how are you" inquiry in the Ascald Kingdom style. Of course, the thanks and apologies would be sincere, written with all her heart.
Since a toddler wrote it, Sebastian or Plum would surely check it. A check to see if she wrote anything rude or problematic.
She hated having her letters read, but she was a toddler whose background was completely unknown to them. It would be terrible if she was disrespectful to the recipient, so it couldn't be helped.
(If I correct the form each time, eventually I'll be free to write as I please.)
She had been thinking about such things.
Up until just a few hours ago.
About two hours later, she handed the letter to Plum, who had come to the room again for dinner, and asked her to give a message to Sebastian.
The meal was taken with the family, together with her two guardians even after returning to the territory, which gave her a warm feeling.
(Do they not take the option of a traditional noble's nursery? In the first place, even at the Gilmore house, my brother and parents seemed to eat frequently together... Is the Ascald Kingdom itself, regarding meals, not like medieval or early modern nobility, but more like modern Earth?)
She thought about such things carelessly.
A space and time that had been unthinkable a short while ago.
Her grandfather, who was boisterous and very broad-minded.
Her uncle, who looked curt at first glance but observed his surroundings well and took care of her in minute detail.
...Even earlier, he warned her about fish bones, told her to watch the cup so she wouldn't spill, and moved things out of the way; he was truly attentive.
When Magnolia accidentally got sauce around her mouth, he reached out from the seat opposite her to wipe it with a napkin, smiling faintly with satisfaction.
(Hmm. So Clau-nii is a Tsundere character? And despite being the younger brother, he also has Big Brother attributes?)
No, maybe "Mom" attributes?
If Claude, who was eating with a composed look, heard that, he would likely spit out the wine he was drinking.
Since there was a sea, seafood was abundant. While munching happily on bouillabaisse rich with the stock of seafood, she ate some kind of meat... a sauté of meat that tasted like beef, and a salad of warm vegetables with an exquisitely refreshing acidic dressing and bread.
She wondered if there was rice in some country somewhere... as her thoughts wandered.
***
Sebastian, having received Magnolia's letter from Plum, was checking her letter just as Magnolia had predicted, to see if it was legible for the recipient and to ensure there were no grave mistakes.
It was a toddler's letter; an adult would need to write a cover note.
Depending on the case, a translation might be necessary.
Thinking that if it looked alright, he would bring the sealing wax tomorrow to confirm with the Young Lady and seal it in front of her eyes.
「...This is...」
His eyes, which were following the characters, suddenly moved faster.
Then, placing the letter carefully on a tray, the elderly steward hurried with quick steps to his Masters, who were likely still working after dinner.
(...The Young Lady is four years old, correct?)
『We wish to take the hidden daughter of Gilmore into Azenda, so please prepare for her reception.』
It was only two days ago that a carrier crow bearing such a letter suddenly arrived.
...He had doubted his eyes and reread the short message three times.
He heard the details immediately after they returned earlier, having dragged Servas into the office.
Even if it was to cut ties with the Royal Family, he was surprised they had kept a young daughter hidden.
...Perhaps because he was used to seeing large people, he was deceived by her smallness, her adorable gestures, and her childish tone!
(She is a bona fide Gilmore!)
No wonder Servas and Claude suggested assigning Gai as a guard.
He had wondered what kind of overprotection they were heaping on a small young lady, but it wasn't just because of her appearance.
...He needed that man to finish his handover and return as soon as possible.
There was a reason the Gilmore family had continued to prosper for such a long, long time.
Aside from the fact that many excellent individuals were raised there, occasionally, an outrageous prodigy was born.
She must be one of that kind.
How much did the Masters understand...? He absolutely had to compare notes!!
He opened the door with vigor and reported to his Masters, who looked up, as calmly as possible.
However. The words spoken by his Masters, after hearing Sebastian's story and seeing the letter, took the wind out of the spirited steward's sails.
「Beautiful handwriting, isn't it?」
Said Claude.
(No, no matter how you look at it, that is not the handwriting of a four-year-old!?)
「I think it's written very well. It's a perfectly fine letter, isn't it?」
I wish she would write a reply to my letters too, said Servas.
(It is too fine! Which etiquette manual is this from!!)
At the series of sentences beginning with seasonal greetings and the flowing characters that looked as if they were written by a practiced hand, the Masters were calm, as if to say, "Yes, indeed."
「Well, that girl is a little... strange.」
「She managed to silence that Gerald, after all. Well... he seemed to notice a hole in her logic midway, but he didn't press it and let her win.」
The two of them were smiling wryly as they recalled something.
「...Are you saying she was educated while being confined, just in case?」
Given that Lord Gerald, he might have schemed it as a safety measure, but on the other hand, if he decided not to show her to the world unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't have.
Conversely, Sebastian thought it was surprising he let her go this time.
「No. It seems she was basically neglected, so rather than being 『given Crown Princess education』 as Sebastian is thinking, she likely 『learned what was necessary』 by herself.」
「She learned what was necessary to survive, and intended to run away on her own soon.」
「Run away...?」
Sebastian, dumbfounded, looked like Claude from some time ago.
...Indeed, one would not think that a respectable young lady (and a toddler at that) would think of running away to the city, hiding in the forest, and slipping into an orphanage when the time was right to weather the storm.
「Actually, she had arranged the means to survive and was preparing little by little, you see?」
「However, it seems the degree of her education is more advanced than I thought... Why? We might need to confirm this once.」
Agreeing with Claude's words, Sebastian accompanied the two Masters, who were reluctant to go right now, and hurried to the problem Young Lady's room, believing there was no time like the present.
***
Meanwhile, Magnolia had finished her bath, listened to Lily who came to greet her before bed, and was relieved to see the usual bright demeanor of her maid.
She reported that the new workplace seemed fine so far.
Just as she finished her brief chat, changed her clothes, and was about to crawl into bed, she was ambushed by a desperate-looking Sebastian and her two guardians with complicated expressions.
And now, she was sitting on the sofa, confronting them face-to-face.
「...What is it? I was shaken in a carriage for three days, and in the morning I fought a Giant Ant... I am tired.」
「What do you mean you fought a Giant Ant!?」
「...Magnolia didn't fight at all, did she?」
Overlapping with Magnolia's statement were Sebastian's voice, mixed with a scream, and Claude's voice inserting a calm retort.
「I am already shleepy. I am vewy sorry, but can it not wait until tomorrow?」
(...I am super sleepy, though.)
Tired and with a full stomach, Magnolia's eyes were half-closed as she stifled a yawn.
Servas and Claude glanced sideways at the steward, who was usually reserved but wouldn't listen once he started something.
「I apologize, I will ask and leave immediately. Where did you receive your education, Milady?」
「Education...? If you mean fwom a teacher, I haven't weceived any, you know. I jusht lishtened to... Big Brother Brian's... and Lady Daphne's... lessons, a little bit.」
While answering, she began to nod off, rowing a boat with her head.
「...You haven't received any... then why can you write such flowing characters?」
「Becaush I pwacticed (including in my Japan days)... It's natural (that I'm used to it), ishn't it...」
「How did you think of this composition? Did you see something?」
「Before (Japan days), I wead... an etiquette book... sho...」
Zzz.
...Magnolia sank.
「...Stop it now. It's pitiful, she's sleepy.」
「I apologize...」
When Sebastian apologized to Servas, he looked at the toddler lying limply on the sofa.
「Another outrageous child has...」
The Masters laughed at Sebastian, who had a distant look in his eyes.
「She is undoubtedly quite the bombshell daughter.」
Claude relaxed his sullen face and gently picked her up to carry her to bed.
「Hah. Whatever she is, we will protect her.」
Servas gently stroked her small head.
She must be dreaming of something.
Magnolia smiled faintly and moved her mouth, mumbling something.
*****
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